Why Fasting is Easier Than Dieting

Okay, that sounds crazy because it’s so counterintuitive. But it’s true.

And it’s worth explaining because so many “experts” claim intermittent fasting is the same as dieting because they both reduce the number of calories you consume. Therefore, people think fasting is just like dieting – which it’s not.

A Lot of So-Called Experts Want to Confuse You

Both intermittent fasting and dieting cut down on your calories. That’s true.

But they are two opposite experiences.

So, first, let’s define terms.

For me – and for most people, I believe – “dieting” means you cut down on how much you eat at every meal.

The basic idea is, you burn more calories than you take in, so you lose weight.

That’s been the “officially approved” weight-loss model since at least the 70’s.

And we all know how well it works. In the long run, for most people . . . it doesn’t.

Dieting for the Rest of Your Life

That’s also why so few people practice what’s scientifically known as “caloric restriction.” That’s dieting on a permanent basis.

It goes back to 1935, when Clyde McCay published a paper on how rats on CR lived longer than rats allowed to eat as much food as they wished. Other studies have validated this is true of many species.

That makes CR the only scientifically proven way to extend lifespan. It’s the fabled “Fountain of Youth.” And yet almost everybody ignores it.

If a pharmaceutical company sold a drug with those benefits, the demand would be overwhelming. People would pay thousands of dollars for it.

But almost nobody eats the CR way – because it’s so difficult.

So, How’s Fasting Different?

During the period of the fast, you eat nothing. Zero. No calories.

Ideally, just water. (Although many do drink coffee or tea.)

But when you do eat, you eat until you’re full.

Therefore, overall, you feel a lot less hunger.

When You’re Dieting, You NEVER Feel Satisfied

On a diet, you never eat enough calories to feel “full,” right?

You go from small salad to rice cakes to carrot sticks and . . .

It’s frustrating.

And it’s even worse when you follow the advice to eat six small meals a day, so you’re “never” hungry.

Except, six tiny meals a day leave you hungry ALL the time.

Maybe you’re not ravenous, but you’re never satisfied either. You spend lots of time thinking and dreaming about food.

Your stomach has stretch receptors that detect when its full. When you eat only small amounts of food, these stretch receptors are never stretched.

That’s why it takes overwhelming discipline to stay on a diet for more than two or three weeks.

Most people can’t handle it because they’re fighting their own biology, so they inevitably lose. And they unjustifiably feel like failures. But Don’t You Get Hungry While Fasting?

Yes, but there are three differences.

One. You get used to it. The worst hunger pangs come around the time you would normally be eating your next meal. When you just drink some water, they tend to go away.

And it helps to keep your mind occupied with work, exercise or whatever else you enjoy doing instead of eating. It’s easier to just forget about food than to stop your activity every couple of hours to eat a radish.

After you fast around 24 hours, your body begins burning stored fat for fuel. This is good because you want to lose weight. It also reduces your hunger feelings by giving you more energy.

Two. You know that after you finish fasting, you’re going to eat again. And not a tiny, unsatisfying amount – but a real meal, that stretches your stomach stretch receptors.

I believe, emotionally, that’s HUGE.

You’re using will power to fight your biology, but only for a few hours or days. You can handle it because you know you soon will eat to satiety again soon.

When you fast longer than a few days, the fat you burn supplies energy that eliminates a lot of the hunger you’d expect.

When you restrict calories, you’re NEVER satisfied.

That also means it’s much easier to make fasting a permanent part of your lifestyle.

Three. Fasting actually works.

You burn stored fat. And, on average, you eat fewer calories than you burn.

You get the health benefits of CR – and more.

Fasting has Unique Antiaging Features

See, with dieting/CR, you never really give your body the occasional rest from digestion it needs.

By not eating any food at all, fasters let their insulin fall, increasing their insulin sensitivity.